List of Soviet and Russian football champions

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Football had been played in Russia since the Russian Empire days in the early 1900s, but it was not until 1936, 19 years after the Russian Revolution, that the Soviet Union established a national championship of clubs. Before then local leagues in Moscow and Saint Petersburg/Leningrad were the only prominent league competitions in the country, with some national championships held intermittently from 1912 to 1933, made up of city selections.

Teams in bold indicates doubles won with the Soviet Cup before 1992 and with the Russian Cup thereafter. Teams in italics include Cup winners between the 2nd and 3rd league places.

Football championship of Russian Empire[]

Year Champions
(number of titles)
Runners-up Third place Leading goalscorer Goals
1912 Saint Petersburg Moscow Kharkov / Kiev
1913 Odessa Saint Petersburg Kharkov / Moscow
1914 cancelled due to World War I

Football championship of Russian SFSR among city teams[]

Year Champions
(number of titles)
Runners-up Third place Leading goalscorer Goals
1920 Moscow MKS Tver Samara / Mars Yaroslavl
1921 no championship
1922 Moscow Kharkov Perm / Kazan
1923 no championship
1924 Leningrad Moscow Viatka / Kazan
no championship in 1925-26
1927 Moscow Western Oblast North Caucasus Krai
1928 Moscow Leningrad Autonomous republics
no championship in 1929-30
1931 Moscow Leningrad North Caucasus Krai / Nizhniy Novgorod Krai
1932 Leningrad Moscow Samara / Sverdlovsk
1933 no championship
1934 Voronezh Ivanovo Sverdlovsk
1935 no championship

Early football championship of the USSR among city teams[]

Note: according to Dynamo sports society, the first Soviet football championship took place in 1924,[1] while other sources (megabook.ru) indicate that the first championship took place earlier in 1923. In Moscow it was decided to consider the football tournament of the 1924 All-Union festival of physical culture as the first national championship.[2]

Year Champions
(number of titles)
Runners-up Third place Leading goalscorer Goals
1923 Moscow Southern Railways (Kharkiv)
1924 Kharkov Leningrad Yakov Alferov 2
1925 no championship
1926 no championship
1927 no championship
1928 Moscow Ukrainian SSR
1929 no championship
1930 no championship
1931 Moscow Russian SFSR Transcaucasian SFSR
1932 Moscow Leningrad Vasily Smirnov 4
1929 no championship
1930 no championship
1935 Moscow Leningrad Kharkov Mikhail Yakushev 6

Soviet League (1936–1991)[]

Soviet Group A[]

Year Champions
(number of titles)
Runners-up Third place Leading goalscorer Goals
1936 (spring) Dynamo Moscow Dynamo Kiev Spartak Moscow Mikhail Semichastny (Dynamo Moscow) 6
1936 (autumn) Spartak Moscow Dynamo Moscow Dinamo Tbilisi Georgy Glazkov (Spartak Moscow) 7
1937 Dynamo Moscow (2) Spartak Moscow Dynamo Kiev Boris Paichadze (Dinamo Tbilisi)
Leonid Rumyantsev (Spartak Moscow)
Vasily Smirnov (Dynamo Moscow)
8
1938 Spartak Moscow (2) CDKA Moscow Metallurg Moscow Makar Goncharenko (Dinamo Kiev) 19
1939 Spartak Moscow (3) Dinamo Tbilisi CDKA Moscow Grigory Fedotov (CDKA Moscow) 21
1940 Dynamo Moscow (3) Dinamo Tbilisi Spartak Moscow Grigory Fedotov (CDKA Moscow)
Sergei Solovyov (Dynamo Moscow)
21
1941 Cancelled on 24 June due to World War II (Dynamo Moscow had the best record at that time)
1942-44 Cancelled due to World War II

Soviet First Group[]

Year Champions
(number of titles)
Runners-up Third place Leading goalscorer Goals
1945 Dynamo Moscow (4) CDKA Moscow Torpedo Moscow Vsevolod Bobrov (CDKA Moscow) 24
1946 CDKA Moscow Dynamo Moscow Dinamo Tbilisi Aleksandr Ponomaryov (Torpedo Moscow) 18
1947 CDKA Moscow (2) Dynamo Moscow Dinamo Tbilisi Vsevolod Bobrov (CDKA Moscow)
Valentin Nikolayev (CDKA Moscow)
Sergei Solovyov (Dynamo Moscow)
14
1948 CDKA Moscow (3) Dynamo Moscow Spartak Moscow Sergei Solovyov (Dynamo Moscow) 25
1949 Dynamo Moscow (5) CDKA Moscow Spartak Moscow Nikita Simonyan (Spartak Moscow) 26

Soviet Class A[]

Year Champions
(number of titles)
Runners-up Third place Leading goalscorer Goals
1950 CDKA Moscow (4) Dynamo Moscow Dinamo Tbilisi Nikita Simonyan (Spartak Moscow) 34
1951 CDSA Moscow (5) Dinamo Tbilisi Shakhter Stalino Avtandil Gogoberidze (Dinamo Tbilisi) 16
1952 Spartak Moscow (4) Dynamo Kiev Dynamo Moscow Andrey Zazroyev (Dynamo Kyiv) 11
1953 Spartak Moscow (5) Dinamo Tbilisi Torpedo Moscow Nikita Simonyan (Spartak Moscow) 14
1954 Dynamo Moscow (6) Spartak Moscow Spartak Minsk Anatoli Ilyin (Spartak Moscow)
Vladimir Ilyin (Dynamo Moscow)
Antonin Sochnev ()
11
1955 Dynamo Moscow (7) Spartak Moscow CDSA Moscow Eduard Streltsov (Torpedo Moscow) 15
1956 Spartak Moscow (6) Dynamo Moscow CDSA Moscow Vasily Buzunov () 17
1957 Dynamo Moscow (8) Torpedo Moscow Spartak Moscow Vasily Buzunov (CSK MO Moscow) 16
1958 Spartak Moscow (7) Dynamo Moscow CSK MO Moscow Anatoli Ilyin (Spartak Moscow) 19
1959 Dynamo Moscow (9) Lokomotiv Moscow Dinamo Tbilisi Zaur Kaloyev (Dinamo Tbilisi) 16
1960 Torpedo Moscow Dynamo Kiev Dynamo Moscow Zaur Kaloyev (Dinamo Tbilisi)
Gennady Gusarov (Torpedo Moscow)
20
1961 Dynamo Kiev Torpedo Moscow Spartak Moscow Gennady Gusarov (Torpedo Moscow) 22
1962 Spartak Moscow (8) Dynamo Moscow Dinamo Tbilisi Mikhail Mustygin (Belarus Minsk) 17

Soviet Class A, 1st Group[]

Year Champions
(number of titles)
Runners-up Third place Leading goalscorer Goals
1963 Dynamo Moscow (10) Spartak Moscow Dinamo Minsk Oleg Kopaev (SKA Rostov-on-Don) 27
1964 Dinamo Tbilisi Torpedo Moscow CSKA Moscow Vladimir Fedotov (CSKA Moscow) 16
1965 Torpedo Moscow (2) Dynamo Kiev CSKA Moscow Oleg Kopaev (SKA Rostov-on-Don) 18
1966 Dynamo Kiev (2) SKA Rostov-on-Don Neftchi Baku Ilya Datunashvili (Dinamo Tbilisi) 20
1967 Dynamo Kiev (3) Dynamo Moscow Dinamo Tbilisi Mikhail Mustygin (Dinamo Minsk) 19
1968 Dynamo Kiev (4) Torpedo Moscow Spartak Moscow Georgi Gavasheli (Dinamo Tbilisi)
Berador Abduraimov (Pakhtakor Tashkent)
22
1969 Spartak Moscow (9) Dynamo Kiev Dinamo Tbilisi Nikolai Osyanin (Spartak Moscow)
Vladimir Proskurin (SKA Rostov-on-Don)
Dzhemal Kherhadze (Torpedo Kutaisi)
16

Soviet Supreme League (Soviet Top League)[]

Year Champions
(number of titles)
Runners-up Third place Leading goalscorer Goals
1970 CSKA Moscow (6) Dynamo Moscow Spartak Moscow Givi Nodia (Dinamo Tbilisi) 17
1971 Dynamo Kiev (5) Ararat Yerevan Dinamo Tbilisi Eduard Malofeev (Dinamo Minsk) 16
1972 Zorya Voroshilovgrad Dynamo Kiev Dinamo Tbilisi Oleg Blokhin (Dynamo Kyiv) 14
1973 Ararat Yerevan Dynamo Kiev Dynamo Moscow Oleg Blokhin (Dynamo Kyiv) 18
1974 Dynamo Kiev (6) Spartak Moscow Chornomorets Odessa Oleg Blokhin (Dynamo Kyiv) 20
1975 Dynamo Kiev (7) Shakhtar Donetsk Dynamo Moscow Oleg Blokhin (Dynamo Kyiv) 18
1976 (spring) Dynamo Moscow (11) Ararat Yerevan Dinamo Tbilisi Arkady Andreasian (Ararat Yerevan) 8
1976 (autumn) Torpedo Moscow (3) Dynamo Kiev Dinamo Tbilisi Aleksandr Markin (Zenit Leningrad) 13
1977 Dynamo Kiev (8) Dinamo Tbilisi Torpedo Moscow Oleg Blokhin (Dynamo Kyiv) 17
1978 Dinamo Tbilisi (2) Dynamo Kiev Shakhtar Donetsk Georgi Yartsev (Spartak Moscow) 19
1979 Spartak Moscow (10) Shakhtar Donetsk Dynamo Kiev Vitali Starukhin (Shakhtar Donetsk) 26
1980 Dynamo Kiev (9) Spartak Moscow Zenit Leningrad Sergey Andreev (SKA Rostov-on-Don) 20
1981 Dynamo Kiev (10) Spartak Moscow Dinamo Tbilisi Ramaz Shengelia (Dinamo Tbilisi) 23
1982 Dinamo Minsk Dynamo Kiev Spartak Moscow Andrei Yakubik (Pakhtakor Tashkent) 23
1983 Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk Spartak Moscow Dinamo Minsk Yuri Gavrilov (Spartak Moscow) 18
1984 Zenit Leningrad Spartak Moscow Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk Sergey Andreev (SKA Rostov-on-Don) 20
1985 Dynamo Kiev (11) Spartak Moscow Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk Oleg Protasov (Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk) 35
1986 Dynamo Kiev (12) Dynamo Moscow Spartak Moscow Aleksandr Borodyuk (Dynamo Moscow) 21
1987 Spartak Moscow (11) Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk Žalgiris Vilnius Oleg Protasov (Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk) 18
1988 Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (2) Dynamo Kiev Torpedo Moscow Yevhen Shakhov (Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk)
Aleksandr Borodyuk (Dynamo Moscow)
16
1989 Spartak Moscow (12) Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk Dynamo Kiev Sergey Rodionov (Spartak Moscow) 16
1990 Dynamo Kiev (13) CSKA Moscow Dynamo Moscow Oleg Protasov (Dynamo Kiev)
Valery Shmarov (Spartak Moscow)
12
1991 CSKA Moscow (7) Spartak Moscow Torpedo Moscow Igor Kolyvanov (Dynamo Moscow) 18

Russian League (1992–present)[]

Russian Top League[]

Year Champions
(number of titles)
Runners-up Third place Leading goalscorer Goals
1992 Spartak Moscow (13) Alania Vladikavkaz Dynamo Moscow Azerbaijan Vali Gasimov (Dynamo Moscow, 1st–8th place)
Russia Yuri Matveyev (Uralmash, 9th–20th place)
16
20
1993 Spartak Moscow (14) Rotor Volgograd Dynamo Moscow Russia Viktor Panchenko (KamAZ Naberezhnye Chelny) 21
1994 Spartak Moscow (15) Dynamo Moscow Lokomotiv Moscow Russia Igor Simutenkov (Dynamo Moscow) 21
1995 Alania Vladikavkaz Lokomotiv Moscow Spartak Moscow Russia Oleg Veretennikov (Rotor Volgograd) 25
1996 Spartak Moscow (16) Alania Vladikavkaz Rotor Volgograd Russia Aleksandr Maslov (Rostselmash Rostov-on-Don) 23
1997 Spartak Moscow (17) Rotor Volgograd Dynamo Moscow Russia Oleg Veretennikov (Rotor Volgograd) 22

Russian Top Division[]

Year Champions
(number of titles)
Runners-up Third place Leading goalscorer Goals
1998 Spartak Moscow (18) CSKA Moscow Lokomotiv Moscow Russia Oleg Veretennikov (Rotor Volgograd) 22
1999 Spartak Moscow (19) Lokomotiv Moscow CSKA Moscow Georgia (country) Georgi Demetradze (Alania Vladikavkaz) 21
2000 Spartak Moscow (20) Lokomotiv Moscow Torpedo Moscow Russia Dmitri Loskov (Lokomotiv Moscow) 18
2001 Spartak Moscow (21) Lokomotiv Moscow Zenit Saint Petersburg Russia Dmitri Vyazmikin (Torpedo Moscow) 18

Russian Premier League[]

Year Champions
(number of titles)
Runners-up Third place Leading goalscorer Goals
2002 Lokomotiv Moscow CSKA Moscow Spartak Moscow Russia Rolan Gusev (CSKA Moscow)
Russia Dmitri Kirichenko (CSKA Moscow)
15
2003 CSKA Moscow (8) Zenit Saint Petersburg Rubin Kazan Russia Dmitri Loskov (Lokomotiv Moscow) 14
2004 Lokomotiv Moscow (2) CSKA Moscow Krylia Sovetov Samara Russia Aleksandr Kerzhakov (Zenit Saint Petersburg) 18
2005 CSKA Moscow (9) Spartak Moscow Lokomotiv Moscow Russia Dmitri Kirichenko (FC Moscow) 14
2006 CSKA Moscow (10) Spartak Moscow Lokomotiv Moscow Russia Roman Pavlyuchenko (Spartak Moscow) 18
2007 Zenit Saint Petersburg (2) Spartak Moscow CSKA Moscow Russia Roman Pavlyuchenko (Spartak Moscow)
Russia Roman Adamov (FC Moscow)
14
2008 Rubin Kazan CSKA Moscow Dynamo Moscow Brazil Vágner Love (CSKA Moscow) 20
2009 Rubin Kazan (2) Spartak Moscow Zenit Saint Petersburg Brazil Welliton (Spartak Moscow) 21
2010 Zenit Saint Petersburg (3) CSKA Moscow Rubin Kazan Brazil Welliton (Spartak Moscow) 19
2011–12 Zenit Saint Petersburg (4) Spartak Moscow CSKA Moscow Ivory Coast Seydou Doumbia (CSKA Moscow) 28
2012–13 CSKA Moscow (11) Zenit Saint Petersburg Anzhi Makhachkala Armenia Yura Movsisyan (Spartak Moscow)
Brazil Wánderson (FC Krasnodar)
13
2013–14 CSKA Moscow (12) Zenit Saint Petersburg Lokomotiv Moscow Ivory Coast Seydou Doumbia (CSKA Moscow) 18
2014–15 Zenit Saint Petersburg (5) CSKA Moscow Krasnodar Brazil Hulk (Zenit Saint Petersburg) 15
2015–16 CSKA Moscow (13) Rostov Zenit Saint Petersburg Russia Fyodor Smolov (Krasnodar) 20
2016–17 Spartak Moscow (22) CSKA Moscow Zenit Saint Petersburg Russia Fyodor Smolov (Krasnodar) 18
2017–18 Lokomotiv Moscow (3) CSKA Moscow Spartak Moscow Netherlands Quincy Promes (Spartak Moscow) 15
2018–19 Zenit Saint Petersburg (6) Lokomotiv Moscow Krasnodar Russia Fyodor Chalov (CSKA Moscow) 15
2019–20 Zenit Saint Petersburg (7) Lokomotiv Moscow Krasnodar Russia Artem Dzyuba (Zenit Saint Petersburg)
Iran Sardar Azmoun (Zenit Saint Petersburg)
17
2020–21 Zenit Saint Petersburg (8) Spartak Moscow Lokomotiv Moscow Russia Artem Dzyuba (Zenit Saint Petersburg) 20

Performances by club[]

Spartak Moscow are the most successful club in the overall ranking, having won 22 national titles. They are followed by city rivals CSKA Moscow with thirteen. Dynamo Kyiv also have thirteen titles, although the team no longer competes in the Russian football system, since it is now part of Ukraine. Fourth place is taken by Dinamo Moscow, who were the dominant team in Soviet Russia during the 1930s and 1950s. Dinamo Moscow has won eleven titles, although their last title came in 1976. Zenit Saint Petersburg is by far the most successful Russian team outside of Moscow. They have won seven titles, mostly in the 2000s and 2010s.

All clubs are included with all national titles:

Rank Club Winners Runners-up
1
Spartak Moscow 22: 1936 (autumn), 1938, 1939, 1952, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1962, 1969, 1979, 1987, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2016–17 16: 1937, 1954, 1955, 1963, 1974, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1991, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011–12
2
CSKA Moscow 13: 1946, 1947, 1948, 1950, 1951, 1970, 1991, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2015–16 12: 1938, 1945, 1949, 1990, 1998, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2014–15, 2016–17, 2017–18
3
Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv 13: 1961, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1985, 1986, 1990 11: 1936 (spring), 1952, 1960, 1965, 1969, 1972, 1973, 1976 (autumn), 1978, 1982, 1988
4
Dynamo Moscow 11: 1936 (spring), 1937, 1940, 1945, 1949, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1959, 1963, 1976 11: 1936 (autumn), 1946, 1947, 1948, 1950, 1956, 1958, 1962, 1967, 1970, 1986, 1994
5
Zenit Saint Petersburg 8: 1984, 2007, 2010, 2011–12, 2014–15, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21 3: 2003, 2012–13, 2013–14
6
Lokomotiv Moscow 3: 2002, 2004, 2017–18 6: 1959, 1995, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2018–19
7
Torpedo Moscow 3: 1960, 1965, 1976 (autumn) 3: 1957, 1961, 1964
8
Georgia (country) Dinamo Tbilisi 2: 1964, 1978 5: 1939, 1940, 1951, 1953, 1977
9
Ukraine Dnipro 2: 1983, 1988 2: 1987, 1989
9 Rubin Kazan 2: 2008, 2009
10 Armenia Ararat Yerevan 1: 1973 2: 1971, 1976 (spring)
Spartak Vladikavkaz 1: 1995 1992, 1996
12 Belarus Dinamo Minsk 1: 1982
Ukraine Zorya Voroshilovgrad 1: 1972
14
Ukraine Shakhtar Donetsk 2: 1975, 1979
Rotor Volgograd 2: 1993, 1997
16 SKA Rostov-on-Don 1: 1966
Rostov 1: 2015–16

Note: Teams in bold are teams from Russia, flags indicate a club based outside Russia, namely  Ukraine,  Georgia,  Armenia and  Belarus. These teams are no longer eligible for the championship as they play in their own leagues.

Best finish in Europe by club[]

Table shows best-finish achievements in major European competitions starting from. For non-Russian teams it is provided the results for Soviet period only.

Club European Cup / UEFA Champions League UEFA Cup / Europa League UEFA Cup Winners' Cup UEFA Super Cup UEFA Intertoto Cup
Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv Semi finals (2)
1976–77; 1986–87
Round of 16 (2)
1979–80; 1989–90
Winner (2)
1974–75;1985–86
Winner
1975
Spartak Moscow Semi finals
1990–91
Semi finals
1997–98
Semi finals
1992–93
3. round 2004
Ukraine Dnipro Quarter-finals (2)
1984–85; 1989–90
Runners-up
2014–15
CSKA Moscow Quarter-finals
2009–10
Winner
2004–05
Round of 32 (2)
1991–92; 1994–95
Runners-up
2005
Belarus Dinamo Minsk Quarter-finals
1983–84
Quarter-finals
1984–85
Quarter-finals
1987–88
Armenia Ararat Yerevan Quarter-finals
1974–75
Round of 16
1972–73
Round of 16
1975–76
Zenit Saint Petersburg Round of 16 (4)
1985–86; 2011–12; 2013–14; 2015–16
Winner
2007–08
Winner
2008
Runners-up
2000
Lokomotiv Moscow Round of 16 (2)
2002–03; 2003–04
Round of 16
2017–18
Semi finals (2)
1997–98; 1997–98
Georgia (country) Dinamo Tbilisi Round of 16
1979-80
Round of 16 (3)
1973–74; 1977–78; 1987–88
Winner
1980–81
Ukraine Zorya Voroshilovgrad Round of 16
1973–74
Torpedo Moscow Round of 32 (2)
1966-67; 1977-78
Quarter-finals
1990–91
Quarter-finals
1967-68; 1986-87
Semi finals
1997
Rubin Kazan Group Stage (2)
2009-10; 2010-11
Quarter-finals
2012-13
3. round
2007
Krasnodar Group Stage
2020-21
Round of 16 (2)
2016-17; 2016-17
-
Rostov Group Stage
2016-17
Round of 16
2016-17
- Semi finals
1999
Dynamo Moscow 3. qualifying round
2009–10
Round of 16 (3)
1991–92; 1992–93; 2014–15
Runners-up
1971–72
Semi finals
1997
Alania Vladikavkaz qualifying round
1996-97
Play-off round
2011-12
-

Table sorted by success at European Cup / UEFA Champions League first and foremost.

Further reading[]

  • Afinogenov, V., Isaev, A. "Futbol-1988. Second half". Krasnodar, 1988. page 96. («Футбол-1988. Второй круг» (авторы-составители В.Афиногенов, А.Исаев. Краснодар. 1988, 96 с.))
  • Gaidyshev, Yu.I. "Futbol-1992". Krasnodar, 1992. page 104. («Футбол-1992» (автор-составитель Ю. И. Гайдышев и др., Краснодар. 1992, 104 с.))

References[]

  1. ^ History (История). Kharkiv Oblast organization of the Physical Culture and Sports Society Dynamo Ukraine.
  2. ^ Rodionov, S. The Kharkiv football: from A to Z (Харьковский футбол: от А до Я). Sport.ua. 30 June 2005
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